Rotary drill bits and systems for inspecting rotary drill bits

ABSTRACT

A method for conducting nondestructive internal inspection of a rotary drill bit used for drilling subterranean formations comprises communicating ultrasonic waves into a drill bit and detecting ultrasonic waves that are reflected by at least a portion of the drill bit. In some embodiments, the waves may be directed into the drill bit from within a longitudinal bore thereof. Reflected waves also may be detected from within the bore. The methods may be used to develop threshold acceptance criteria for classifying drill bits as acceptable or unacceptable to prevent catastrophic failures of drill bits during use. Systems and apparatuses are disclosed for conducting nondestructive ultrasonic inspection of a drill bit used for drilling subterranean formations. The systems and apparatuses may comprise an ultrasonic probe configured for insertion within an internal longitudinal bore of a drill bit. Drill bits are disclosed that are configured to facilitate nondestructive ultrasonic inspection thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/787,693, filed Apr. 17, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,631,560, issuedDec. 15, 2009, which claims the benefit of Provisional United StatesPatent Application Ser. No. 60/792,445 filed Apr. 17, 2006, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by thisreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to apparatuses,systems, and methods for conducting nondestructive evaluation of rotarydrill bits used for drilling subterranean formations to identifyinternal defects therein, and to rotary drill bits designed tofacilitate nondestructive evaluation thereof. More specifically, suchnondestructive evaluation may be conducted using ultrasound.

BACKGROUND

A typical rotary drill bit for drilling subterranean formations includesa bit body having a face region thereon carrying cutting structures forcutting into an earth formation. The bit body may be secured to ahardened steel shank having a threaded pin connection for attaching thedrill bit to a drill string that includes tubular pipe segments coupledend to end between the drill bit and other drilling equipment. Equipmentsuch as a rotary table or top drive may be used for rotating the drillstring and drill bit. Alternatively, the shank may be coupled directlyto the drive shaft of a down-hole motor to rotate the drill bit.

Generally, if the drill bit is a fixed-cutter, or so-called “drag” typerotary drill bit, the cutting structures on the face region of the bitbody include a plurality of cutting elements formed at least in part ofa superabrasive material such as polycrystalline diamond. Fixed-cutterrotary drill bits employing such polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC)cutting elements have been employed for several decades. Typically, thebit body of a rotary drill bit is formed from steel or a steel memberembedded in a matrix material that includes hard particulate material,such as tungsten carbide (WC), infiltrated with a binder material suchas a copper alloy.

In the case of steel body drill bits, the bit body typically is machinedfrom stock material to the desired shape. Structural features may bedefined at precise locations on the bit body by machining the bit bodyusing a computer-controlled, multi-axis machine tool. Such structuralfeatures may include, for example, radially and longitudinally extendingblades, cutting element pockets, ridges, lands, nozzle cavities, anddrilling fluid courses and passages, including so-called “junk slots.”Hard-facing is usually applied to the face region of the bit body and toother critical areas of the drill bit for resisting abrasion fromcontact with the formation being drilled and erosion by drilling fluidduring drilling operations. The cutting elements generally are securedwithin pockets that are machined into blades located on the face regionof the bit body. The hardened steel shank may be secured to the bit bodyafter the bit body has been formed.

Matrix-type drill bits, on the other hand, include a bit body that is atleast partially formed of hard particulate material such as tungstencarbide (WC) that is infiltrated with a binder material such as a copperalloy. Matrix-type drill bits generally are formed by filling ahigh-temperature mold formed of graphite or a ceramic material withparticulate tungsten carbide and infiltrating the particles of tungstencarbide with molten copper alloy. However, because the matrix materialgenerally is difficult or impossible to machine, part of a machinablesteel blank typically is disposed within the mold prior to infiltrationof the matrix material. The infiltrant binds the steel blank to thematrix material upon hardening to form a bit body that includes both thesteel blank and the matrix material. Cast resin-coated sand, graphitedisplacements, or in some instances tungsten carbide particles in aflexible polymeric binder, may be employed to form internal as well asexternal structural features of the bit body. The machinable steel blankportion of a matrix-type bit body may be secured to a hardened steelshank in the same manner described previously in relation to steel bodydrill bits.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional matrix-type drill bit 10 formedgenerally according to the description above. The conventionalmatrix-type drill bit 10 includes a bit body 12 that is coupled to asteel shank 14. A bore 16 is formed longitudinally through a portion ofthe drill bit 10 for communicating drilling fluid to a face 20 of thedrill bit 10 during drilling operations through a plurality of passages(not shown) extending from bore 16 to the face 20, wherein typicallynozzles are disposed. Cutting elements 22 and 24 (typically diamond, andmost often a PDC) may be bonded to the bit face during infiltration ofthe bit body if thermally stable PDCs, which are commonly referred to asthermally stable products, or TSPs, are employed. Alternatively,conventional, non-thermally stable PDC cutting elements 22 and 24 havingdiamond tables formed on WC substrates may be bonded by the substratesto the face 20 of the bit body 12 after the bit body 12 is formed bymethods such as brazing, adhesive bonding, or mechanical affixation.

The bit body 12 includes a preformed steel blank 26 and a bit bodymatrix 28. The bit body matrix 28 may include particles of tungstencarbide bonded together by a copper alloy. The blank 26 may have agenerally cylindrical or tubular shape or a fairly complex shape thatincludes features for structural reinforcement of, for example, bladesformed on the bit face.

During formation of the bit body 12, the blank 26 may be positioned toextend partially within a high-temperature mold for casting the bit body12. The blank 26 is affixed to the bit body matrix 28 uponsolidification of the copper alloy binder material used to infiltratethe tungsten carbide particles. An exposed upper portion of the steelblank 26 then may be machined and affixed to the shank 14 by way of athreaded connection 30 as well as by a continuous, circumferential, or“girth” weld 32 formed between the assembled shank 14 and the blank 26.The shank 14 may include tapered threads 34 forming a pin connection atan upper portion thereof for connecting the matrix-type drill bit 10 toa string of drill pipe (not shown).

After a drill bit has been manufactured, it is typically used severaltimes to perform successive drilling operations, during which the bitbody may be subjected to extreme loads and stresses due to the appliedweight on bit (WOB), the applied torque used to rotate the bit, andimpact forces associated with contact of the bit and cutting elementscarried thereon with the subterranean formation ahead of and surroundingthe well bore. These stresses may generate a defect or a plurality ofdefects within the drill bit and may cause existing, latent defects togrow in size. The drill bit may fail catastrophically if thecharacteristics and magnitudes of the defects within the drill bit reacha critical point. Such characteristics may include the nature, size,location, and orientation of individual defects, and the number ofdefects within the drill bit. Thus, it would be advantageous to providea method that may be used to nondestructively inspect a drill bit afterits manufacture and between successive drilling operations to identifydefects within the drill bit, to characterize the nature, size,location, orientation, and number of those defects.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in various embodiments, relates generally toapparatuses, systems, and methods for conducting nondestructiveevaluation of rotary drill bits used for drilling subterraneanformations to identify defects therein, and to rotary drill bitsdesigned to facilitate nondestructive evaluation, such as ultrasonicinspection, thereof.

In some embodiments, the present invention includes methods forconducting nondestructive inspection of an earth-boring drill bit. Themethods include communicating ultrasonic waves into the drill bit anddetecting ultrasonic waves reflected by at least a portion of the drillbit. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic waves may be communicated intothe drill bit from within a longitudinal bore of the drill bit. Thereflected ultrasonic waves optionally may be detected from within thelongitudinal bore of the drill bit. The methods may be used to confirmthe presence or absence of one or more defects within a drill bit, andoptionally may include generating a representation of at least a portionof the drill bit using the ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic probes used incarrying out methods of the present invention may be configured as asingle emitter/receiver combination, or as a phased array ofemitters/receivers, both such configurations being known.

In additional embodiments, the present invention includes systems forultrasonically inspecting an earth-boring drill bit. The systems includeat least one ultrasonic probe, a longitudinal probe-positioningmechanism, a rotational probe-positioning mechanism, and a computerdevice, which may be used for at least one of controlling the emissionof ultrasonic energy from the probe and receiving data or signals fromthe ultrasonic probe representative of reflected ultrasonic waves. Theultrasonic probe includes at least one ultrasonic transducer and may beconfigured for insertion within an internal longitudinal bore of thedrill bit.

In yet additional embodiments, the present invention includes ultrasonicinspection apparatuses for inspecting a drill bit for drillingsubterranean formations. The apparatuses include an ultrasonic probe, anultrasonic probe support structure for supporting the ultrasonic probe,a longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism, and a rotationalprobe-positioning mechanism. A portion of the ultrasonic probe supportstructure may be configured for insertion into an internal longitudinalbore of a drill bit, and the ultrasonic probe may be coupled to thatportion of the support structure and may be, itself, configured forinsertion into an internal longitudinal bore of the drill bit.

Further embodiments of the invention include matrix-type drill bits fordrilling subterranean formations that include a bit body defining aninternal longitudinal bore therein. The bit body may be configured tofacilitate ultrasonic inspection of the bit body by, for example,reducing a number of material interfaces between an exterior surface ofthe drill bit and a region of the drill bit to be ultrasonicallyinspected. In some embodiments, the drill bits may comprise a bit bodymatrix coupled to a steel blank. The bit body matrix may adjoin thesteel blank along an interface in a chamfer region, which may beoriented at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the bore. The steel blankmay be configured to define at least a portion of the internallongitudinal bore wall and to provide a continuous path through thesteel blank between the internal longitudinal bore and the chamferregion.

Still further embodiments of the present invention comprise rotary drillbits for drilling subterranean formations that include a shank and a bitbody. The bit body defines an internal longitudinal bore therethroughcircumscribed by an inner surface having a landing pad formed thereinconfigured for facilitating substantially repeatable positioning of anultrasonic probe within the longitudinal bore.

The features, advantages, and alternative aspects of the presentinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from aconsideration of the following detailed description considered incombination with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming that which is regarded as the present invention,the advantages of this invention may be more readily ascertained fromthe following description of the invention when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional matrix-type drillbit;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional schematic view of a system accordingto an embodiment of the present invention that may be used to conductnondestructive ultrasonic evaluation of a drill bit;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an ultrasonic probeaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an ultrasonicprobe according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an apparatus according to an embodimentof the present invention and that may be used to conduct nondestructiveultrasonic evaluation of a drill bit;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a matrix-type drill bit according toan embodiment of the present invention and that is configured tofacilitate nondestructive ultrasonic evaluation thereof; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a matrix-typedrill bit according to the present invention and that is configured tofacilitate nondestructive ultrasonic evaluation thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to apparatuses, systems, andmethods for conducting nondestructive evaluation of rotary drill bitsused for drilling subterranean formations to identify defects therein,and to rotary drill bits designed to facilitate nondestructiveevaluation, such as ultrasonic inspection, thereof.

The illustrations presented herein are not meant to be actual views ofany particular apparatus, system, or method for conductingnondestructive evaluation of rotary drill bits, but are merely idealizedrepresentations that are employed to describe the present invention.Additionally, elements and features common between drawing figures andembodiments may retain the same numerical designation.

According to the present invention, systems and methods may be used forperforming ultrasonic, nondestructive evaluation or inspection of adrill bit after the drill bit has been manufactured before its first usein drilling operations as well as between successive drilling operationsin which the drill bit is to be employed. FIG. 2 illustrates anon-limiting example of an ultrasonic inspection system 50 according tothe present invention and that may be used to conduct nondestructive,ultrasonic evaluation of drilling equipment, such as the conventionalmatrix-type drill bit 10 shown in FIG. 1. The ultrasonic inspectionsystem 50 as shown in FIG. 2 is configured for inspection of thematrix-type drill bit 10 although, as noted below, the invention is notlimited to inspection of matrix-type drill bits, or to drill bits perse. The matrix-type drill bit 10 is shown in FIG. 2 to include defects40 proximate the so-called chamfer regions 36 between the blank 26 andthe bit body matrix 28. It has been observed by the inventors of thepresent invention that defects within conventional matrix-type drillbits such as drill bit 10 may form proximate these chamfer regions 36.Of course, defects also may form or develop at any region of or within adrill bit, without limitation. For example, voids and cracks may bepresent wholly within the bit body matrix 28, as well as wholly withinblank 26.

The ultrasonic inspection system 50 may include a rotary table 52 forsupporting the drill bit 10. Rotary table 52 may be manually rotatable,or driven by, for example, an electric motor through a gear drive or arotary stepper motor for precise control of rotational position of therotary table 52 and, consequently, of a drill bit 10 carried thereon.Alternatively, another, less precise type of rotational drive may beemployed in combination with a rotary encoder for precise tracking ofrotational position of the rotary table 52. A drill bit alignmentstructure 54 may be provided on rotary table 52 for aligning thelongitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16 of drill bit 10 with the axis ofrotation of the rotary table 52. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the drill bit alignment structure 54 may include, forexample, structural features having contours or shapes that arecomplementary to contours or shapes of structural features of the face20 (FIG. 1) of the drill bit 10 so as to securely support drill bit 10on its face 20 in a desired position and orientation for rotation.

The ultrasonic inspection system 50 also may include an ultrasonic probe56 having at least one ultrasonic transducer configured for emitting anddetecting ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic probe 56 may havecross-sectional dimensions less than the cross-sectional dimensions ofthe bore 16 and, accordingly, may be sized and configured to fit withinthe bore 16 of the drill bit 10. In addition, the ultrasonic probe 56may have cross-sectional dimensions small enough to provide a selectednear field standoff distance between an ultrasonic wave emitting andreceiving surface of the ultrasonic probe 56 and a facing interiorsurface of the drill bit 10 within the bore 16. Providing a selectednear field standoff distance between an emitting and receiving surfaceof the ultrasonic probe 56 and an interior surface of the drill bit 10may minimize noise in the electrical signals generated by the ultrasonictransducer of ultrasonic probe 56 responsive to ultrasonic wavesreflected due, at least in part, to roughness of the interior surface ofbore 16. A suitable near field standoff distance, as will be recognizedby those of ordinary skill in the art, will depend on the operationalfrequency of the ultrasonic probe 56 selected. It is believed that anear field standoff distance of, for example, nineteen millimetersbetween an emitting and receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe 56 andan interior surface of the drill bit 10 within the bore 16 will beadequate with most ultrasonic probes. One suitable ultrasonic probe forimplementing the present invention is a Focus 32/64 Ultrasonic PhasedArray Pulser-Receiver, operable at a frequency of 5 MHz, with 64transducer elements in the array and an element pitch (spacing) of 0.60mm.

The ultrasonic inspection system 50 also may include a probe supportstructure 60 for positioning and supporting the ultrasonic probe 56within the bore 16 of the drill bit 10. The probe support structure 60may include a cantilevered support member 64 vertically movably coupledto a stationary member 62, shown for convenience as a vertical column,by a longitudinal positioning mechanism 66, shown schematically as acollar. The cantilevered support member 64 may include a laterallyextending portion secured at one end to longitudinal positioningmechanism 66 and having at an opposing end a longitudinally extendingportion that extends substantially at a right angle thereto. Thelongitudinally extending portion of the cantilevered support member 64carries ultrasonic probe 56 at its free end. The longitudinalpositioning mechanism 66 may be used to move the cantilevered supportmember 64 and, thus, ultrasonic probe 56, in a generally longitudinaldirection relative to the drill bit 10 and parallel to longitudinal bore16. The longitudinal positioning mechanism 66 may comprise, for example,a manually operated gear set or an electro-mechanical device comprisingan electrically driven gear set to be cooperative with teeth onstationary member 62, a stepper motor cooperative with stationary member62, a pneumatically or hydraulically driven piston cooperative with abore defined by stationary member 62. In addition, the longitudinalpositioning mechanism 66 may comprise a hand-operated clamp associatedwith a collar for vertically positioning cantilevered support member 64.Use of a manual or powered drive mechanism in longitudinal positioningmechanism 66 may be in association with a linear position sensor if thedrive mechanism itself does not provide a signal or other outputindicative of the vertical position of movable member 64 and, thus, ofultrasonic probe 56 carried thereby.

It is also contemplated that, in lieu of the use of a rotary table 52,the longitudinally extending portion of cantilevered support member 64may comprise a separate component from the laterally extending portionthereof, and the longitudinally extending portion rotatably mounted tothe free or distal end of the lateral portion. Thus, ultrasonic probe 56may be rotated within longitudinal bore 16 rather than drill bit 10being rotated. A sensor may be used to monitor the rotational positionof ultrasonic sensor and, if desired, the coupling between thelongitudinal and lateral portions of cantilevered support member 64 orbetween ultrasonic probe 56 and the longitudinal portion of cantileveredsupport member 64 may include structure, for example, slip ringcontacts, to permit rotation of ultrasonic probe 56 through an arcgreater than 360° or a plurality of full rotations.

The ultrasonic inspection system 50 also may include a computer device(not shown) for operating the ultrasonic probe 56 and for receiving,storing, analyzing, graphing, or otherwise manipulating data generatedby the ultrasonic probe 56 in response to ultrasonic waves. For example,a commercially available portable computer device specifically designedfor ultrasonic testing that may be used with the ultrasonic inspectionsystem 50 is sold under the trademark OMNISCAN™ by R/D Tech of Quebec,Canada. Alternatively, a personal computer may be used in conjunctionwith software appropriate for acquiring and analyzing ultrasound data.Exemplary commercially available software that may be used inconjunction with a personal computer is also sold by Olympus NDT Inc.,of Waltham, MA. Such devices and software are suitable for use with aphased array ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic pulser and receiver (notshown) also may be used in conjunction with the computer device and theultrasonic probe 56 to facilitate control and operation of theultrasonic probe 56 by the computer device.

In additional embodiments, the ultrasonic probe 56 may be manuallyoperated without the use of a computer device, and an analog signalgenerated thereby may be visually analyzed (without the use of acomputer device) to perform ultrasonic inspection of the drill bit 10.

Electrical cables (not shown) may be provided as necessary between thecomputer device and the ultrasonic probe 56 for transmitting electricalsignals therebetween. The electrical cables may be coupled to thelaterally extending portion and the longitudinally extending portion ofthe cantilevered support member 64. If the cantilevered support member64 is hollow, the electrical cables may extend within the movablecantilevered support member 64 to ultrasonic probe 56.

As noted previously, the rotary table 52 may include a sensor or otherdevice for indicating a relative rotational position of the rotary table52 (and thus of a drill bit 10 resting thereon) at any given time, orused to indicate relative rotational position of ultrasonic probe 56 ifrotary table 52 is not employed. Similarly, and also as previouslynoted, the longitudinal positioning mechanism 66 may include a sensor orother device for indicating the longitudinal position of thecantilevered support member 64 and, correspondingly, the ultrasonicprobe 56 at any given time. These sensors may be connected to thecomputer device and the outputs (signals) therefrom used to determine aposition of the ultrasonic probe 56 relative to the drill bit 10 and tocorrelate ultrasonic data acquired at any given time to a given region,in terms of longitudinal and circumferential location thereof, withinthe drill bit 10. Such data may also be used to generate athree-dimensional representation of the interior of the drill bit 10 asnoted below, or develop a two-dimensional (X-Y axis) sectiontherethrough along, for example, any selected diameter of drill bit 10.

It will be appreciated that rotary and longitudinal position sensors,such as rotary and linear encoders, are desirably used in combinationwith ultrasonic probe 56 by providing feedback to facilitate precisecorrelation of the rotational and longitudinal position of theultrasonic probe 56 with signals produced by ultrasonic probe 56corresponding to ultrasonic waves received by ultrasonic probe afterreflection from within the body of drill bit 10. Thus, the positionalsignals correlated with the ultrasonic probe 56 signals may be used todevelop the aforementioned three-dimensional representation of theinterior of the drill bit 10 or a two-dimensional section therethrough,to identify internal defects within drill bit 10.

To conduct ultrasonic inspection of the drill bit 10 using theultrasonic inspection system 50 shown in FIG. 2, the cantileveredsupport member 64 and ultrasonic probe 56 may be moved using thelongitudinal positioning mechanism 66 upwardly to a position that allowsthe drill bit 10 to be placed on the rotary table 52. The drill bit 10may be positioned on the rotary table 52 using the drill bit alignmentstructure 54 such that the longitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16substantially coincides with the axis of rotation of the rotary table52. The cantilevered support member 64 and the ultrasonic probe 56 maythen be moved using the longitudinal positioning mechanism 66 toposition the ultrasonic probe 56 at a selected location within the bore16 of the drill bit 10. An ultrasonic couplant 68 such as water or othersuitable fluid or gel may be provided in the bore 16 of the drill bit 10to ultrasonically couple the ultrasonic probe 56 to the drill bit 10.Since drilling fluid courses typically are provided within the drill bit10 to extend from the bore 16 to the face 20 thereof, the drill bit 10may be submerged in a water tank (not shown) carried on rotary table 52to prevent the ultrasonic couplant 68 from draining out from the bore 16during ultrasonic evaluation of the drill bit 10. Alternatively, thedrilling fluid course openings may be plugged proximate the face ofdrill bit 10 with, for example, elastomeric plugs prior to filling thebore 16 with the ultrasonic couplant 68. The drill bit alignmentstructure 54 also may be configured to plug openings communicatingbetween the bore 16 and the exterior of the drill bit 10 when the drillbit 10 is positioned on the drill bit alignment structure 54. Such adrill bit alignment structure 54 may be configured for use with aspecific design and size of bit and include, for example, a layer ofelastomeric material configured for covering the openings in the face ofthe drill bit 10 or including protruding structural features, which maybe formed of or covered with an elastomeric material for being receivedin and plugging openings in the drill bit 10 proximate a supportingsurface of the drill bit alignment structure 54.

In additional embodiments, at least a portion of the rotary drill bit 10may be immersed in an ultrasonic couplant, or an ultrasonic couplant,such as a gel, may be applied directly to the ultrasonic probe 56 or toa surface of the drill bit 10 within the bore 16 to facilitateultrasonic inspection thereof.

Ultrasonic waves 59 then may be emitted or pulsed by the ultrasonicprobe 56 and communicated or directed into at least a region of thedrill bit 10. These ultrasonic waves 59 may be reflected by structuresor features, including any defect or defects, within the drill bit 10.These reflected ultrasonic waves may be detected using the ultrasonicprobe 56 and converted by ultrasonic probe 56 into electrical signals.Data resident in or carried by the electrical signals generated by theultrasonic probe 56 may be received, stored, analyzed, graphed, mappedor otherwise manipulated using the computer device, in combination withrotational and longitudinal positional data for ultrasonic probe 56 foreach reflected ultrasound data set. If present within the drill bit 10,at least one defect, such as the exemplary defects 40 within the drillbit 10 shown in FIG. 2, may reflect or cause refraction of, or both, atleast a portion of the ultrasonic waves in a manner aberrational incomparison to, or inconsistent with, homogeneous regions within drillbit or known boundary surfaces and boundary surface configurationsbetween regions. In this manner, at least the presence or absence of atleast one defect 40 within the drill bit 10 may be indicated by the dataacquired using the ultrasonic probe 56.

It should be recognized that refraction, reflection, or a combination ofrefraction and reflection of ultrasonic waves may occur at an interfacebetween materials having different physical properties. For example,refraction, reflection, or a combination of refraction and reflection ofultrasonic waves may occur at the interface between the ultrasoniccouplant 68 and the bit body matrix 28 and at the interfaces between thebit body matrix 28 and the blank 26. The reflection, or refraction orbending, of the ultrasonic waves in the aforementioned aberrationalmanner may result in the detection of defects at locationslongitudinally above or below the position at which the ultrasonictransducer is located. Snell's law may be considered and used todetermine the path of the ultrasonic waves 59 if the speeds of theultrasonic waves in each material of the drill bit (for example, steelblank, one or more matrix materials, weld material) and the angles ofthe interfaces between different materials with respect to the incidentultrasonic waves are known. Thus, a three-dimensional computer model ofa given drill bit 10, including the various regions of the drill bit 10and boundary locations therebetween, may be used in conjunction with therefracted and reflected ultrasonic waves to determine the nature, size,location, orientation, and number of any defects by comparingmagnitudes, angles and resulting patterns of reflected ultrasonic wavesdetected during inspection of the drill bit 10 with an idealized modelof that given size and design of drill bit, or with actual data fromanother drill bit of the same size and design and known to bedefect-free. In other words, the inspection techniques of the presentinvention may be most beneficially utilized in conjunction with specificbit designs, materials, sizes of bit body components, and interfacesbetween the components.

It should be recognized that ultrasonic inspection of rotary drill bits10 may be performed according to the present invention usinglongitudinal waves, shear waves, or both. As known in the art,longitudinal waves typically are used for normal incidence inspectiontechniques and shear waves typically are used for oblique incidenceinspection techniques. The use of shear waves or longitudinal waves maybe dictated by the chamfer angle between the blank and the matrixmaterial or materials of the bit body.

The computer device may be used to detect and record a longitudinalposition of the ultrasonic probe 56 and a rotational orientation of therotary table 52 using the corresponding, associated sensors. The rotarytable 52 may be selectively rotated, as by a selected increment (forexample, 1°) and ultrasonic waves may again be communicated into anotherinternal segment of the drill bit 10, and reflected ultrasonic waves maybe detected. Such a process may be repeated as necessary or desirablefor inspecting a selected region or volume of the drill bit 10. Forexample, this process may be performed until a substantially complete360° ultrasonic scan of the drill bit 10 has been completed at a firstlongitudinal position of the ultrasonic probe 56. The ultrasonic probe56 then may be selectively moved in a longitudinal direction by aselected increment (for example, 0.040 inch) within longitudinal bore 16relative to the drill bit 10, and another substantially complete 360°ultrasonic scan of the drill bit 10 may be obtained at the newlongitudinal position. This process may be repeated until a desiredregion or volume of the drill bit 10 has been ultrasonically inspected.Alternatively, the rotary table 52 may be selectively rotated while theultrasonic probe 56 is selectively moved in a longitudinal direction toprovide a helical scan path for the ultrasonic probe 56 while acquiringdata. In such an instance, it may be desirable to dispose an ultrasonicprobe 56 having a plurality of transducers, for example two or fourtransducers at equal circumferential spacing (180° or 90°, respectively,see FIG. 4 below), at the distal end of cantilevered support member 64to obtain adequate data while moving cantilevered support member 64 morerapidly through longitudinal bore 16 or to avoid the need for rotationof drill bit 10. Further, it may be desirable to control drivemechanisms for longitudinal movement of cantilevered support member 64and rotary table 52 using a computer device for coordinated movementthereof to ensure a complete scan of drill bit 10, which does not omitany significant regions thereof.

The ultrasonic data acquired at a plurality of longitudinal positions ofthe ultrasonic probe 56 and a plurality of rotational positions of therotary table 52 may be combined and analyzed by the computer to generatea virtual three-dimensional representation of at least a portion of thedrill bit 10. The data and the virtual three-dimensional representationof the drill bit 10 may be used to identify and characterize any defector defects present within the drill bit 10. In this manner, theultrasonic inspection system 50 may be used to identify defects withinthe drill bit 10, to characterize the nature, size, location,orientation, and number of those defects, to allow removal of the drillbit from service when the characteristics of those defects reach acritical point, and thereby to prevent catastrophic failure of the drillbit during a drilling operation.

It should be noted that precise identification of the nature, size,location, orientation, and number of defects within a given drill bit 10is enhanced by use of a reference calibration feature or standard thatmay be manufactured intrinsic to each drill bit 10 to facilitateinspection thereof. Such a reference calibration feature may comprise,for example, a 0.25 inch long, 0.0010 to 0.0050 inch deepcircumferential recess machined into an interior surface of blank 26. Abit design such as that disclosed below with respect to FIG. 6, whereinthe interior surface of blank 26 defines an interior surface oflongitudinal bore 16, is particularly suitable for providing such areference calibration feature, as ultrasonic waves emitted from probe 56will pass through ultrasonic couplant 68 and impinge upon the surface ofthe recess, reflecting back from a known and precise distance betweenthe face of ultrasonic probe 56 and the recess surface, which may beused to calibrate ultrasonic probe at the beginning of, or at intervalsduring, an inspection operation. Further, such a calibration surface maybe located elsewhere on blank 26, such as at an interface surfacebetween blank 26 and matrix material, so that passage, for example, ofultrasonic waves through a known thickness of steel may be calibrated.Furthermore, a plurality of reference calibration features may beprovided at various known depths and locations on or in a drill bit.Such a configuration may facilitate real-time calibration as the drillbit is inspected for defects as previously described herein. In otherwords, calibration may be performed periodically using each of a seriesof calibration features as the drill bit is ultrasonically scanned. Suchcalibration features may be designed so as not to negatively affectperformance of the drill bit. In additional embodiments, a portablereference standard may be secured to the ultrasonic probe 56 over theemitting and receiving face thereof in the presence of ultrasoniccouplant 68 to provide a known reflective standoff distance, and theprobe 56 operated in a calibration mode before insertion intolongitudinal bore 16. In any case, the amplitude of a response against aknown standard may be employed to scale the size and configuration of alocated defect.

Ultrasonic probes and software for operating ultrasonic transducerswithin the ultrasonic probes and for analyzing and graphing the datacollected by the probes are known in the art and are commerciallyavailable, as noted above. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of theultrasonic probe 56 shown in FIG. 2. The ultrasonic probe 56 has arectangular shape and contains an active surface 57 that may include aphased array of ultrasonic transducers (not shown). An alternativeultrasonic probe 58 is shown in FIG. 4 that has a cylindrical shape andthat may be used in the ultrasonic inspection system 50 shown in FIG. 2.The ultrasonic probe 58 may include a plurality of active surfaces 67arranged about the circumference of the ultrasonic probe 58. Each activesurface 67 of the ultrasonic probe 58 may include a phased array ofultrasonic transducers (not shown). In this configuration, theultrasonic probe 58 may be configured to perform a substantiallycomplete 360° ultrasonic scan of the drill bit 10 corresponding to agiven longitudinal location within the bore 16 of the drill bit 10without rotating the drill bit 10 relative to the ultrasonic probe 56.

Due to the complexity of the manufacturing processes used to constructconventional matrix-type drill bits such as drill bit 10, thelongitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16 may not precisely coincide with alongitudinal axis of the drill bit 10. In other words, the bore 16 maynot be precisely centered or oriented within the drill bit 10. If thelongitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16 does not coincide with thelongitudinal axis of the drill bit 10, the ultrasonic probe 56 may bepositioned relative to the longitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16. Thismay facilitate providing a selected standoff distance between a surfaceof the ultrasonic probe 56 and an interior surface of the drill bit 10as the drill bit 10 is rotated relative to the ultrasonic probe 56. Thismay facilitate accurate determination of a location of any defect ordefects within the drill bit 10 as indicated by data acquired from theultrasonic probe 56. At least in part for this reason, a drill bitalignment structure 54 as previously referenced herein may be providedfor aligning the longitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16 of drill bit 10with the axis of rotation of the rotary table 52.

The ultrasonic inspection system 50 may include an additional measuringmechanism (not shown) for accurately determining the location andorientation of a longitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16 of the drill bit10. This additional measuring mechanism may include a metrology devicesuch as, for example, a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). Themeasuring mechanism may be used to identify the locations of severalpoints on the interior surface of the drill bit 10 within the bore 16,and using those locations, identify the position and orientation of thebore 16 and the longitudinal axis L₁₆ thereof. Once the position andorientation of the longitudinal axis L₁₆ has been determined, the drillbit 10 may be positioned on the rotary table 52 such that the axis ofrotation of the rotary table 52 substantially coincides with thelongitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16. The drill bit alignment structure54 may be used to facilitate this process.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portable exemplary ultrasonic inspection apparatus70 according to an embodiment of the present invention that may be usedto conduct nondestructive, ultrasonic inspection of drilling equipment,such as the conventional matrix-type drill bit 10 shown in FIG. 1. Theultrasonic inspection apparatus 70 may include a lower portion 72 thatis configured to be positioned within the bore 16 of the drill bit 10.The lower portion 72 may include an ultrasonic probe 56, which may bepositioned between a lower elastomeric o-ring 74 and an upperelastomeric o-ring 76. During use, the lower elastomeric o-ring 74 andthe upper elastomeric o-ring 76 may sealingly engage the interiorsurface of the drill bit 10 within the bore 16. A disc-shaped collar 78may be provided to engage a surface of the shank 14 when the lowerportion 72 is disposed within the bore 16 of the drill bit 10. Thedisc-shaped collar 78 may be configured to anchor and center theultrasonic inspection apparatus 70 to the drill bit 10. For example, thedisc-shaped collar 78 may include tapered threads on an interior surfacethereof (not shown) for connecting the disc-shaped collar 78 to thetapered threads 34 of the shank 14 shown in FIG. 1.

The ultrasonic inspection apparatus 70 may include a longitudinalpositioning mechanism 80 for selectively moving the lower portion 72 andthe ultrasonic probe 56 in a longitudinal direction relative to thedrill bit 10. The longitudinal positioning mechanism 80 may include asensor 82 for identifying a longitudinal position of the ultrasonicprobe 56 relative to the drill bit 10 at any given time. The ultrasonicinspection apparatus 70 also may include a rotational positioningmechanism 86 for selectively rotating the lower portion 72 and theultrasonic probe 56 relative to the drill bit 10. The rotationalpositioning mechanism 86 may include a sensor 88 for identifying arotational position of the ultrasonic probe 56 relative to the drill bit10 at any given time. The longitudinal positioning mechanism 80 and therotational positioning mechanism 86 may include electro-mechanicaldevices, mechanical devices, pneumatic devices, or hydraulic devices forselectively moving the ultrasonic probe 56 in a longitudinal directionrelative to the drill bit 10 and for selectively rotating the ultrasonicprobe 56 relative to the drill bit 10. For example, the longitudinalpositioning mechanism 80 and the rotational positioning mechanism 86each may include an electrical motor for adjusting the longitudinal androtational position of the ultrasonic probe 56 within the bore 16 of thedrill bit 10. The electrical motors may be controlled by a computerdevice to further automate the inspection of a drill bit. Alternatively,the longitudinal positioning mechanism 80 and the rotational positioningmechanism 86 may be hand-operated.

An opening 90 may be provided at the top of the ultrasonic inspectionapparatus 70 that communicates with the interior cavity of a hollowlongitudinal support member 92 that is coupled to the lower portion 72.When the lower portion 72 of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus 70 isinserted into the bore 16 of the drill bit 10, an ultrasonic couplantsuch as water may be introduced through an aperture in the wall ofhollow longitudinal support member 92 into the region between the lowerelastomeric o-ring 74 and the upper elastomeric o-ring 76 within thebore 16 of the drill bit 10 through the opening 90 and the hollowlongitudinal support member 92.

The ultrasonic probe 56 may be pivotably coupled to the lower portion 72of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus 70 about an axis transverse tohollow longitudinal support member 92 using a pin support P as shown inFIG. 5. An adjustment mechanism may be provided for adjusting an angleof the ultrasonic probe 56 upward and downward relative to a planeperpendicular to the longitudinal axis L₁₆ of the bore 16. For example,a wire or cable may be provided through the opening 90 and through thelongitudinal support member 92 to the ultrasonic probe 56. By allowingthe ultrasonic probe 56 to pivot about an axis perpendicular to andwithin the bore 16 of the drill bit 10, the ultrasonic waves emittedthereby may be directed into the drill bit 10 at various angles relativeto the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof. Anadditional sensor (not shown) may be provided to indicate an angle ofthe pivotably mounted ultrasonic probe 56 at any given time.

A computer device (not shown) may be used with the ultrasonic inspectionapparatus 70 in the same manner as discussed previously in relation tothe ultrasonic inspection system 50 shown in FIG. 2 to control theultrasonic probe 56 and to receive, store, analyze, graph, or otherwisemanipulate data generated by the ultrasonic probe 56 in response toultrasonic waves. Electrical cables and wires may be provided betweenthe computer device and the ultrasonic probe 56 for transmittingelectrical signals therebetween. The electrical cables may extendthrough the opening 90 and the longitudinal support member 92 to theultrasonic probe 56.

The ultrasonic inspection apparatus 70 may be used to conduct ultrasonicinspection of the drill bit 10 in a similar manner as that discussedpreviously in relation to the ultrasonic inspection system 50 shown inFIG. 2. Particularly, the lower portion 72 of the ultrasonic inspectionapparatus 70 may be positioned within the longitudinal bore 16 of thedrill bit 10 such that the disc-shaped collar 78 engages the shank 14 ofthe drill bit 10. The lower portion 72 may be moved in a longitudinaldirection relative to the drill bit 10 to a selected position using thelongitudinal positioning mechanism 80. An ultrasonic couplant such aswater may be provided through the opening 90 to the region between thelower elastomeric o-ring 74 and the upper elastomeric o-ring 76 withinthe bore 16 of the drill bit 10.

Ultrasonic waves then may be emitted or pulsed from the ultrasonic probe56 and communicated or directed into the drill bit 10. Reflectedultrasonic waves may be detected using the ultrasonic probe 56.Electrical signals generated by the ultrasonic probe 56 may be receivedand recorded by the computer device. The computer device also may detectand record the longitudinal position of the ultrasonic probe 56, therotational orientation of the ultrasonic probe 56, and the angle of theultrasonic probe 56 relative to the drill bit 10 as indicated by thecorresponding sensors. This information may be used to correlate theacquired ultrasonic data to a particular location or region within thedrill bit 10.

The lower portion 72 and the ultrasonic probe 56 may be selectivelyrotated and ultrasonic waves may again be communicated into the drillbit 10 and reflected ultrasonic waves may be detected and recorded. Thisprocess may be repeated until a substantially complete 360° ultrasonicscan of the drill bit 10 has been completed at a longitudinal positionof the ultrasonic probe 56 with respect to the drill bit 10. Theultrasonic probe 56 then may be selectively moved in a longitudinaldirection relative to the drill bit 10 and another substantiallycomplete 360° ultrasonic scan of the drill bit 10 may be obtained at adifferent longitudinal position. This process may be repeated until adesired region or volume of the drill bit 10 has been ultrasonicallyevaluated. The recorded ultrasonic data for a plurality of longitudinaland rotational positions of the ultrasonic probe 56 may be combined andanalyzed by the computer device to generate a virtual three-dimensionalrepresentation of at least a region of the drill bit 10. The data andthe virtual three-dimensional representation of the at least a portionof the drill bit 10 may be used to indicate the presence of a defect ordefects within the drill bit 10. In this manner, the ultrasonicinspection apparatus 70 may be used to identify defects within a drillbit, to characterize the nature, size, location, orientation, and numberof those defects, to allow removal of the drill bit from service whenselected characteristics of those defects reach a critical point, andthereby to prevent catastrophic failure of the drill bit during adrilling operation.

As discussed previously herein, refraction and reflection of ultrasonicwaves generated by the ultrasonic probe 56 may occur (for example) at aninterface between the ultrasonic couplant 68 and the bit body matrix 28,and at interfaces between the bit body matrix 28 and the blank 26. Therefraction or bending of the ultrasonic waves may complicate preciselydetermining the position of any detected defect within the drill bit 10.In another aspect of the present invention, drill bits may be designedto minimize the number of interfaces between the ultrasonic probe andthe chamfer regions 36 at which a defect may be likely to occur toreduce the amount of refraction and reflection that occurs at interfacesand to further improve the accuracy of the inspection techniquesdescribed herein.

For example, a matrix-type drill bit 100 according to an embodiment ofthe present invention is shown in FIG. 6. The drill bit 100 is similarto the drill bit 10 shown in FIG. 1 and includes a bit body 102 and ashank 14. A longitudinally extending bore 16 is provided through thedrill bit 100. The bit body 102 also includes a steel blank 104 and abit body matrix 106. In contrast to the drill bit 10 shown in FIG. 1,however, the steel blank 104 of the drill bit 100 shown in FIG. 6extends radially inwardly to the interior wall of bore 16 in the regionsof the bit body 102 near the chamfer regions 36 at which defects mayoccur. As illustrated by comparison to a conventional matrix-type drillbit, such as drill bit 10 shown in FIG. 1, an interface between the bitbody matrix 106 and the steel blank 104 has been eliminated to provide acontinuous path through the steel blank 104 between the longitudinalbore 16 and the chamfer regions 36 in this configuration of the drillbit 100. The overall refraction or bending of ultrasonic waves 59therefore may be reduced and the ability to accurately determine theposition and orientation of defects within the bit body 102 may befacilitated.

Systems and apparatuses according to embodiments of the presentinvention, such as the ultrasonic inspection system 50 and theultrasonic inspection apparatus 70, may be used to monitor an existence,development, or both of at least one defect within a drill bit over agiven time period. For example, successive evaluations of a drill bitmay be performed after each drilling operation and may be compared toone another. The ability to repeatedly position an ultrasonic probe atsubstantially the same location within the bore of a drill bit may berelatively desirable for ensuring that the results of successiveevaluations of a drill bit may be fairly compared. In order to enablerelatively precise repositioning of the ultrasonic probe within a drillbit, the interior of the drill bit may be configured to provide alanding pad or other reference feature or location for the transducer.The landing pad may allow for substantially repeatable placement of theultrasonic probe within the bore of the drill bit each time the drillbit is to be inspected.

A matrix-type drill bit 110 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention and includes a landing pad for an ultrasonic transducer isshown in FIG. 7. The drill bit 110 is similar to the drill bit 100 shownin FIG. 6 and includes a lower bit body 112 and an upper shank 14. Alongitudinally extending bore 16 is provided through the drill bit 110.The bit body 112 includes a steel blank 114 and a bit body matrix 116.In contrast to the drill bit 100 shown in FIG. 6, however, the steelblank 114 of the drill bit 110, shown in FIG. 7, includes a landing padcavity 120 for an ultrasonic probe. The landing pad cavity 120 may beconfigured as a circumferential notch formed in the inner surface of thesteel blank 114 within the bore 16 of the drill bit 110. The landing padcavity 120 may include a frustoconical, tapered upper surface 122 and aledge or landing pad surface 124 oriented perpendicular to bore 16. Anultrasonic probe (not shown) used to inspect the drill bit 110 mayinclude spring members configured to engage the inner surface of thedrill bit 10 when the ultrasonic probe is inserted into the bore 16. Asthe ultrasonic probe is advanced longitudinally into the bore 16, thespring members may engage the circumferential notch of the landing padcavity 120 and may abut against the ledge or landing pad surface 124.The ledge or landing pad surface 124 may prevent the ultrasonic probefrom advancing longitudinally further into the bore 16 of the drill bit110. The tapered upper surface 122 of the landing pad cavity 120 mayallow the spring members to slide out of the circumferential notch ofthe landing pad cavity 120 and, thus, may allow the ultrasonic probe tobe withdrawn from the bore 16 of the drill bit 110. In thisconfiguration, the landing pad cavity 120 allows the ultrasonic probe tobe precisely positioned in substantially the same location within thedrill bit 110 each time the drill bit 110 is to be inspected. Such aconfiguration provides a reference location, which may allow for dataacquired relative to at least two different inspections to belegitimately compared.

During drilling operations, fluids are forced through the bore 16 of thedrill bit 110 to the face thereof at high pressures and velocities,which may cause abrasion and erosion of interior surfaces of the drillbit 110 within the bore 16. As the steel blank 114 typically is moresusceptible to abrasion and erosion than is the bit body matrix 116, aremovable protective liner 130 in the form of a tube formed from anerosion and abrasion resistant material such as tungsten carbide,silicon carbide, or other erosion and abrasion resistant material knownin the art may be provided within the bore 16 during drilling operationsto inhibit degradation of the steel blank 114 and the landing pad cavity120. Alternatively, the removable protective tube liner 130 may beformed from a material similar to that of the bit body matrix 116 andmay be sized and shaped to protect the interior surface of the steelblank 104. The removable protective tube liner 130 may be removed fromthe drill bit 100 when the bit body 102 is to be ultrasonicallyinspected and replaced prior to subsequent drilling operations. Theremovable protective tube liner 130 may be removably attached to thedrill bit 110 by brazing, adhesive bonding, or mechanical affixation(such as, for example, by resilient elements radially engaging landingpad cavity 120) to allow removal of the removable protective tube 130from the drill bit 110 when the drill bit 110 is to be ultrasonicallyinspected.

A removable protective liner such as the removable protective tube liner130 also may be used in conjunction with the drill bit 100 shown in FIG.6 to inhibit erosion and abrasion of the steel blank 104.

In another embodiment of the invention, a landing pad cavity or otherreference element may be formed in the bit body matrix 116 of the bitbody 112 during formation thereof instead of machining a landing pad inthe steel blank 114.

Instead of providing a landing pad cavity or other reference element toaccurately position an ultrasonic probe within the bore of a drill bit,a removable positioning member may be provided for positioning theultrasonic probe relative to the bore. The positioning member may beconfigured to engage at least a portion of the bottom surface of thebore, at least a portion of the side walls of the bore, or both, toposition the positioning member and ultrasonic probe at substantiallythe same location each time the positioning member and probe arepositioned within the bore. For example, the positioning member may beconfigured as a fixture for supporting the ultrasonic probe and engagingat least one interior surface of the drill bit within the bore thereof.An ultrasonic probe may be positioned within the fixture, and thefixture and ultrasonic probe may be positioned within the bore of thedrill bit such that the fixture engages the at least one interiorsurface of the drill bit within the bore and the ultrasonic probe ispositioned at a selected location within the bore of the drill bit.

Each of the ultrasonic inspection techniques and methods discussedherein above has included inspecting the bit body of a drill bit usingan ultrasonic probe positioned within a bore of a drill bit. Inalternative methods, a drill bit may be ultrasonically inspected fromthe exterior of the drill bit. A ring-shaped ultrasonic probe may beprovided having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of thebit body to allow the ring-shaped ultrasonic probe to be positioned suchthat the probe encircles at least a portion of the exterior surface ofthe drill bit. The ultrasonic probe may include a plurality ofindividual ultrasonic transducers oriented radially inwardly andarranged about the circumference of the ultrasonic probe to provide aselected circumferential coverage of the bit body. In addition, theindividual ultrasonic transducers may be provided at various anglesrelative to the longitudinal axis of the drill bit or be pivotablymounted with respect thereto. In yet other methods, a drill bit may beultrasonically inspected by emitting ultrasonic waves from a firstultrasonic probe 56 positioned within the longitudinal bore of the drillbit, transmitting the ultrasonic waves through the drill bit to theexterior thereof, and detecting the ultrasonic waves using a secondultrasonic probe 56A positioned on the exterior of the drill bit, asshown in FIG. 6. Similarly, a drill bit may be ultrasonically inspectedby emitting ultrasonic waves from a first ultrasonic probe 56Apositioned on the exterior of the drill bit, transmitting the ultrasonicwaves through the drill bit to the interior longitudinal bore, anddetecting the ultrasonic waves using a second ultrasonic probe 56positioned within the longitudinal bore of the drill bit.

Further, it is contemplated that movable “mirrors” having surfaces of amaterial reflective of ultrasound may be used in conjunction withstationary ultrasonic transducers to reflect emitted ultrasonic pulsesinto the drill bit at desired angles. In this configuration, thering-shaped ultrasonic probe may be used to inspect the drill bit fromthe exterior thereof. Inspecting a drill bit from a position exterior ofthe drill bit may present difficulties associated with the presence ofthe bore and the material interfaces between the probe and the defectsthat are to be inspected. It has been observed by the inventors of thepresent invention that these difficulties may be mitigated or overcomeby performing the ultrasonic inspection from within the bore of thedrill bit.

The nondestructive ultrasonic inspection techniques, methods, systems,and apparatuses disclosed herein may be used to inspect drill bits overtheir life spans to identify and characterize at least one defecttherein. The probability that a drill bit will fail catastrophicallyduring a drilling operation is at least partially a function of themagnitude of the loads or forces applied to the drill bit duringdrilling operations, the fracture properties of the materials and theoverall structure of the drill bit, and the presence of defects withinthe drill bit. One or more defects within a drill bit may notnecessarily cause catastrophic failure of the drill bit during use. Theprobability that one or more defects within a drill bit will cause adrill bit to fail catastrophically during use (i.e., the criticality ofthe defect) is at least partially a function of the number, shape, size,nature, and location of the defects within the drill bit.

It should be understood that the inspection methods and techniquesdescribed herein may be used for inspection of any part of a rotarydrill bit. For example, a bit body, a shank, a weld, or any otherportion of a rotary drill bit may be inspected using the methods andtechniques described herein. In one specific, non-limiting example, thetechniques disclosed herein may be employed for inspection of theinternal integrity of circumferential, or girth weld 32 between a bitblank 26 and a shank 14 (see FIG. 1) on the exterior of a drill bit aswell as its interfaces with bit blank 26 and shank 14. Furthermore, theinspection methods and techniques described herein have been describedwith reference to matrix-type drill bits. The inspection methods andtechniques are not so limited, however, and may be applied to othertypes of drill bits including drill bits having steel bit bodies anddrill bits having bit bodies comprising particle-matrix compositematerials formed by particle compaction and densification techniques,such as those described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/271,153, filed Nov. 10, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,802,495, issuedSep. 28, 2010 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/272,439, alsofiled Nov. 10, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,776,256, issued Aug. 17, 2010.

Also, the inspection methods and techniques may be used to inspectdrilling tools other than conventional matrix-type rotary drill bitssuch as, for example, core bits, casing bits, reamers, bi-center andeccentric rotary drill bits, reamer wings, steel body drill bits, rollercone drill bits, and other drilling tools as known in the art. Thespecific materials, sizes and internal and external configurations ofany of the foregoing are non-limiting of the utility of the presentinvention.

The inspection methods and techniques described hereinabove may be usedto predict whether a drilling tool will fail under predetermineddrilling conditions. By way of example and not limitation, theinspection methods and techniques described hereinabove may be used toidentify and characterize one or more cracks or other defects in anearth-boring rotary drill bit 10 like that shown in FIG. 1. If thematerials from which the earth-boring rotary drill bit 10 is formed areknown, the properties of the materials (e.g., the fracture toughnessK_(c), and the critical stress for crack propagation σ_(c) for crackpropagation) may be determined using conventional standard test methodsknown in the art (e.g., ASTM (American Society for Testing andMaterials) Standard Test Method E 1820-98, which is entitled Measurementof Fracture Toughness). A computational model of the drill bit 10 thatincludes the identified and characterized cracks or defects therein maybe generated. Finite element analysis (FEA) techniques then may be usedto calculate estimated stress intensity factors K and effective stressesσ that may be generated in the drill bit 10 due to anticipated forces(e.g., weight-on-bit (WOB) and torque) that may be applied to the drillbit 10 during a subsequent drilling operation. Equations for calculatingstress intensity factors K and effective stresses σ, as well as fracturetoughness K_(c) and fracture stress for crack propagation σ_(f), areknown in the art and described at, for example, Pages 31-96 of T.L.Anderson, Fracture Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications, CRC Press,Inc. (2nd edition, 1995), the contents of which are incorporated hereinin their entirety by this reference. Once these values have beendetermined, a failure assessment diagram (FAD) may be generated and usedto predict whether the drill bit 10 will fail under the anticipateddrilling conditions. Such failure assessment diagrams are known in theart and described at, for example, Pages 459-478 of T.L. Anderson,Fracture Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications, CRC Press, Inc. (2ndedition, 1995), the contents of which are also incorporated herein intheir entirety by this reference. By way of example and not limitation,if the ratio of the effective stress σ to the critical stress for crackpropagation σ_(f) (σ/σ_(f)) is greater than or equal to about 0.8, itmay be predicted that the drill bit 10 will fail due to a plasticfailure mechanism. If the ratio of the stress intensity factor K to thefracture toughness K_(c)(K/K_(c)) is greater than or equal to about 0.8,it may be predicted that the drill bit 10 will fail due to a brittlefailure mechanism. In this manner, the methods described herein may beused to predict failure of drill bits and other drilling tools beforethey are actually used in a drilling operation to prevent failure of thedrill bit or other drilling tool.

While the present invention has been described herein with respect tocertain preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize and appreciate that it is not so limited. Rather, manyadditions, deletions and modifications to the preferred embodiments maybe made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafterclaimed. In addition, features from one embodiment may be combined withfeatures of another embodiment while still being encompassed within thescope of the invention as contemplated by the inventors.

1. A system for ultrasonically inspecting a drill bit for subterranean drilling comprising: an ultrasonic probe including at least one ultrasonic transducer configured for at least one of emitting ultrasonic waves and detecting ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic probe being configured for insertion within an internal longitudinal bore of an earth-boring rotary drill bit; a longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism operably coupled with the ultrasonic probe and configured for changing a longitudinal position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the earth-boring rotary drill bit, the longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism comprising: a fixed member disposed outside the longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit, the fixed member extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the internal longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit; and a cantilevered support member movably coupled to the fixed member, the cantilevered support member comprising: a first portion movably coupled to the fixed member and extending laterally from the fixed member; and a second portion extending generally perpendicularly relative to the first portion and having a free end coupled to the ultrasonic probe; a rotational probe-positioning mechanism operably coupled with the ultrasonic probe and configured for changing a rotational position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the earth-boring rotary drill bit; and a computer device for receiving data acquired from the ultrasonic probe.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotational probe-positioning mechanism is configured to rotate the ultrasonic probe within the internal longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotational probe-positioning mechanism is configured to rotate the rotary drill bit about the ultrasonic probe.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the rotational probe-positioning mechanism comprises a rotary table configured to support and rotate the rotary drill bit about the ultrasonic probe.
 5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a rotary drill bit aligning structure for substantially aligning a longitudinal axis of the internal longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit with an axis of rotation of the rotary table.
 6. A system for ultrasonically inspecting a drill bit for subterranean drilling comprising: an ultrasonic probe including at least one ultrasonic transducer configured for at least one of emitting ultrasonic waves and detecting ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic probe being configured for insertion within an internal longitudinal bore of an earth-boring rotary drill bit, the ultrasonic probe having a cylindrical shape and including a plurality of active surfaces arranged about a circumference of the ultrasonic probe; a longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism operably coupled with the ultrasonic probe and configured for changing a longitudinal position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the earth-boring rotary drill bit; a rotational probe-positioning mechanism operably coupled with the ultrasonic probe and configured for changing a rotational position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the earth-boring rotary drill bit; a computer device for receiving data acquired from the ultrasonic probe; and an additional ultrasonic probe including at least one ultrasonic transducer configured for at least one of emitting ultrasonic waves and detecting ultrasonic waves, the additional ultrasonic probe being configured to be positioned on the exterior of the earth-boring rotary drill bit and for communicating ultrasonically with the ultrasonic probe configured for insertion within the internal longitudinal bore of the earth-boring rotary drill bit.
 7. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting a rotary drill bit for subterranean drilling comprising: an ultrasonic probe support structure for supporting an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe support structure comprising a portion thereof configured to be positioned within an internal longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit, the ultrasonic probe support structure further comprising a member for attaching the ultrasonic probe support structure to the rotary drill bit; an ultrasonic probe structurally coupled to the portion of the support structure, the ultrasonic probe configured for positioning within the internal longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit; a longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism configured for changing a longitudinal position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the rotary drill bit; and a rotational probe-positioning mechanism configured for changing a rotational position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the rotary drill bit.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism comprises one of a mechanical device, an electro-mechanical device, a pneumatic device, and a hydraulic device.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the rotational probe-positioning mechanism comprises one of a mechanical device, an electro-mechanical device, a pneumatic device, and a hydraulic device.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising an angle-adjustment mechanism configured for changing an angle of the ultrasonic probe relative to the rotary drill bit.
 11. A system for ultrasonically inspecting a drill bit for subterranean drilling comprising: an ultrasonic probe including at least one ultrasonic transducer configured for at least one of emitting ultrasonic waves and detecting ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic probe being configured for insertion within an internal longitudinal bore of an earth-boring rotary drill bit; a longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism operably coupled with the ultrasonic probe and configured for changing a longitudinal position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the earth-boring rotary drill bit; a rotational probe-positioning mechanism operably coupled with the ultrasonic probe and configured for changing a rotational position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the earth-boring rotary drill bit; and a computer device for receiving data acquired from the ultrasonic probe; wherein the longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism is configured to position the ultrasonic probe at a known location relative to the drill bit using at least one reference feature of the drill bit.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism comprises: a fixed member disposed outside the longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit, the fixed member extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the internal longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit; and a cantilevered support member movably coupled to the fixed member, the cantilevered support member comprising: a first portion movably coupled to the fixed member and extending laterally from the fixed member; and a second portion extending generally perpendicularly relative to the first portion and having a free end coupled to the ultrasonic probe.
 13. A system for ultrasonically inspecting a drill bit for subterranean drilling comprising: an ultrasonic probe including at least one ultrasonic transducer configured for at least one of emitting ultrasonic waves and detecting ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic probe being configured for insertion within an internal longitudinal bore of an earth-boring rotary drill bit; a longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism operably coupled with the ultrasonic probe and configured for changing a longitudinal position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the earth-boring rotary drill bit; a rotational probe-positioning mechanism operably coupled with the ultrasonic probe and configured for changing a rotational position of the ultrasonic probe relative to the earth-boring rotary drill bit; and a computer device for receiving data acquired from the ultrasonic probe; wherein the rotational probe-positioning mechanism is configured to position the ultrasonic probe at a known location relative to the drill bit using at least one reference feature of the drill bit.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the longitudinal probe-positioning mechanism comprises: a fixed member disposed outside the longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit, the fixed member extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the internal longitudinal bore of the rotary drill bit; and a cantilevered support member movably coupled to the fixed member, the cantilevered support member comprising: a first portion movably coupled to the fixed member and extending laterally from the fixed member; and a second portion extending generally perpendicularly relative to the first portion and having a free end coupled to the ultrasonic probe. 